Inflatable display banner

ABSTRACT

An inflatable display banner that may be collapsed for storage and/or shipment and inflated to display advertising indicia or the like. The banner is comprised of a flexible sheet adapted to receive indicia and a flexible, inflatable tube secured to the sheet about the periphery of the latter. Securing elements are also provided for securing the inflated banner to a standard.

Uited States Patent [191 handos 1 May1,1973

[ INFLATABLE DISPLAY BANNER [75] Inventor: Laurence R. Chandos, Riverside, Ill.

[73] Assignee: G. 8. Frank Incorporated [22] Filed: Dec. 14, 1970 [21] App]. No.: 97,620

[52] 11.1.8. Cl. ..40/l25 F, 40/125 H, 40/145, 40/212 [51] Int. Cl ..G09f 7/18 [58] Field of Search ..40/l25, 125 E, 125 F, 40/125 G, 125 H, 125 J, 212, 214,217,145; 46/87, 89, 90, 88; 52/2 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,266,458 8/1966 Ahlquist ..52/2 X 3,363,268 l/l968 Friedlander "52/2 X 3,547,751 12/1970 Morgan ..52/2

3,470,845 10/1969 Mignano ..46/90 X 2,486,158 10/1949 Haas i ..40/2l4 X 3,113,551 12/1963 Korn ..46/90 X 3,526,199 9/1970 Keats.... ..52/2 X 3,370,369 2/1968 Look .....40/l25 3 ,234,685 2/1966 Harrowe... ..46/88 2,629,] 15 2/1953 Hansen ..40/2l4 X Primary Examiner-Robert W. Michell Attorney-Hofgren, Wegner, Allen, Stellman & Mc- Cord [57] ABSTRACT An inflatable display banner that may be collapsed for storage and/or shipment and inflated to display advertising indicia or the like. The banner is comprised of a flexible sheet adapted to receive indicia and a flexible, inflatable tube secured to the sheet about the periphery of the latter. Securing elements are also provided for securing the inflated banner to a standard.

1 Claim, 3 Drawing; Figures Patented May 1, 1973 @HSIP FIG.2

INVENTOR LAURENCE R. CHANDOS ATTORNEY BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to display devices such as banners and more particularly, to a banner which may be completely knocked down for shipment and/or storage, which may be easily set up for display purposes and which may be economically manufactured.

Recent years have seen an increasing need for inexpensive display devices which may be secured to standards. Out of this need, a number of proposals have arisen for knock-down types of banners which may be stored and/or transported in a relatively compact form. Quite frequently, such knock-down banners will include a flexible display panel which may be compacted for storage or shipment thereby minimizing space requirements. However, proposals heretofore known still require the use of rigid structural members of a type which cannot be collapsed for the purpose of supporting the flexible display panel.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a front elevation of an inflatable banner made according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a vertical section taken approximately along the line 22 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a horizontal section taken approximately along the line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT An exemplary embodiment of the banner made according to the invention is illustrated in FIG. 1 and is seen to be mounted on a standard in the form of a pole 10. The banner includes a display panel 12 adapted to receive display indicia and formed. of a sheet of flexible material and further having secured thereto about its periphery, a closed loop inflatable tube means, generally designated 14. In the exemplary embodiment, the tube means 14 are defined by a pair of tubes 16 and 18 respectively which serve, when inflated, as structural supports for the panel 12.

Also provided are means for securing the banner to the standard 10, generally designated 20. Each of the securing means 20 comprises a pair of spaced grommets 22 in the display sheet 12 through which a securing strap 24 is passed. As best seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, each strap 24 terminates at one end in a conventional buckle 26 and includes apertures 27 at its other end for cooperation with the buckle 26. The strap 24 may be trained about the standard 10 as illustrated in FIG. 3

with a spacing element 28 interposed therebetween.

sheet there is secured a closed loop, flexible, inflatable tube which, when inflated, is essentially planar and which serves as the structural support for the panel. Further provided are means associated with at least one of the tubes and the sheet for securing the banner to a standard.

In the preferred embodiment, the sheet is formed of two plies of a flexible material and the tube is defined by the space between an inner peripheral seal between the plies and an outer peripheral seal between the two plies. If the flexible material is a plastic, the seal may be formed by conventional heat sealing or solvent welding techniques.

In its best form, there is further provided an intermediate peripheral seal between the two plies' so that two such tubes are defined. This features maximizes the rigidity of the support elements for the panel, namely, the tubes, while minimizing the front to back depth of the banner thereby allowing the same to be easily attached to a display stand.

In the preferred embodiment, the securing means comprise at least two spaced pairs of grommets extending through the sheet. A securing strap is provided for each pair of grommets and is adapted to be trained about a standard. Further provided is a spacer element that is adapted to be interposed between the strap and the display standard and which has a flat, sheet engaging surface.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

The spacing element 28 includes a flat, sheet engaging surface 30 for engaging the back of the sheet 12 to space the same sufficiently from the standard 10 so that contact of the tube means 14 with the standard will not cause the banner to be distorted from its basically planar shape.

The manner of fabrication of the flexible sheet 12 and the tube means 14 can best be understood from an examination of FIGS. 2 and 3. In particular, the sheet 12 is formed of a pair of plies 32 and 34 of flexible material. The material, for example, may be any suitable plastic of the type that may be heat sealed or solvent sealed by conventional techniques. The tubes 16 and 18-are formed by peripheral seals between the two plies. For example, the tube means 14 are defined by the space between an inner peripheral seal 36 between the tube plies 32 and 34 and an outer peripheral seal 38 between the two plies. To define the individual tubes 16 and 18, there may be further provided an interthe same to a standard 10 due to possible distortion caused by the abutment of the tube means against the standard 10 and the pulling of the sheet 12 towards the same by the securing means 20, two or more tubes may be used to provide maximum rigidity with a reduced front to back depth.

Also provided are means (not shown) whereby a gas under pressure may be introduced into the interior of the tube means 14. Typically, such means may form a conventional manually operated valve such as those customarily used on air mattresses or the like or, a conventional tire valve. Such a valve may be provided for each of the tubes 16 and 18 or, a single valve may be provided if the intermediate seal 40 between the tubes 16 and 18 is broken at one point to permit flow of gas between the two tubes.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that the banner, with the tubes 16 and 18 in a collapsed state may be folded into a relatively small space for shipment or storage. When the banner is desired to be used, it is only necessary to remove the same from an appropriate container, secure the same to a standard and inflate the tubes 16 and 18. In this regard, one extensive use of a banner made according to the invention is contemplated to occur at service stations or the like and in such instances, it will be desirable that the valve for filling the tubes 16 and 18 be a conventional tire valve so that the tubes 16 and 18 may easily be filled from an existing tire air supply system.

The display indicia may then be located on the sheet 12 as indicated in FIG. 1. For example, a sheet of paper bearing indicia could be pasted thereon. Alternately, the sheet 12 may be pre-printed with the display indica if desired.

1 claim:

1. An inflatable banner comprising:

a sheet of flexible material adapted to receive indicia for display;

a closed loop, inflatable tube formed of flexible material secured to said sheet about the periphery of the latter and constructed to define a substantially planar form upon inflation; and

securing means for securing said sheet and said tube, when inflated, to a standard, including at least two spaced pairs of spaced grommets in said sheet, a strap for each pair of grommets and passing through both grommets of each pair and adapted to be trained about and secured to a standard, and a plurality of spacer elements, one for each strap,

4 and each having a flat, sheet engaging surface and being interposable between the standard and corresponding strap. 

1. An inflatable banner comprising: a sheet of flexible material adapted to receive indicia for display; a closed loop, inflatable tube formed of flexible material secured to said sheet about the periphery of the latter and constructed to define a substantially planar form upon inflation; and securing means for securing said sheet and said tube, when inflated, to a standard, including at least two spaced pairs of spaced grommets in said sheet, a strap for each pair of grommets and passing through both grommets of each pair and adapted to be trained about and secured to a standard, and a plurality of spacer elements, one for each strap, and each having a flat, sheet engaging surface and being interposable between the standard and corresponding strap. 